Well, here's something else to make me to lick my slavering TRex chops with anticipation. Tori Amos will be releasing her 9th album on May 1st, "American Doll Posse" and from the looks of this promo photo, I don't think it's going to be quite the pink, frilly snooze-fest that was 2005's "The Beekeeper". Tori looks like she might have a thing or two on her mind, I dunno.

Tori Amos is like Thai food. People who love it looooooove it. People who hate it will go to elaborate lengths to avoid it. They'll cross the street to get away. My brother is one of those people. And unfortunately for him, so was my ex. (Of course, he liked Led Zeppelin and Sabbath, and, oh, god, Blue Oyster Cult.)

But also like Thai food, when Tori Amos's music is good, it's like sex in heaven. But when it's bad, it's really, really dismal. Take 1996's "Boys for Pele" (Please!), for instance. It was the first album Tori produced herself and also her first foray into the world of harpsichord, two maneuvers that both richly deserve to be filed in the drawer marked "Grave Tactical Errors".

I don't know what it is, but I can't stand any of the songs from that record. Her harpsichord playing sounds like someone sorting wire hangers with a lawn mower and every single irritating, annoying quirk and affectation of her singing is jacked up to 11. No, 12. (Do they make an amp that goes to 15?) I haaaaaate that record. It sounds like a hung-over Ani DiFranco covering the songs that didn't make the cut for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera"™. It's bad. Bad bad.

"Boys for Pele" totally put me off Tori for about three years. I liked the first album, mostly enjoyed the second one, but with "Pele", I thought, "Huh. Maybe she just doesn't want people to actually like her music anymore. Maybe she's joined some kind of cult. Or maybe she's just taking a lot of peyote."

Anyway, that was it for me and Tori. I decided that it was all just a little too pink and moist in there for me. (Not that there's anything wrong with pink and moist, per se, if you like that sort of thing. I mean, some of my best friends are…oh, never mind.) She's crazy. Buh-bye.

Well, somebody I worked with at a restaurant in 1998 went and bought "From the Choirgirl Hotel" and after much coaxing and repeated listenings while we worked, I had to concede that okay, okay, I was back on board. "Pele" was some kind of random malfunction and our girl was back and maybe even a little less atrociously dressed (hey, even I can see that she's not the best dresser) and maybe not humping the piano quite so obnoxiously, or at least not as hard or for quite as long.

"To Venus and Back" and "Scarlet's Walk" showed us that Tori was still a bit loopy and occasionally downright cryptic, but now also expansive, musically ambitious, even cinematic. This is where the rubber meets the road in a musician's career, where years of training and discipline result in an artist continuing to push their boundaries and try new things and occasionally arrive at something truly astounding rather than turning into some kind of dubious, less interesting knock-off of their old shtick à la Trent Reznor or a million other bands we've all loved and lost.

How many times have you waited for some band's next record, pleading with them, pleading with God, "Please don't suck this time, please don't suck, please!"? And then you buy it and sure enough, it sucks. Or worse, it seems great for about two days and then you start to see the strings and wires and seams where it's all barely holding together and you realize then that no, actually, it really does suck. You were just letting your desire to love it cloud your judgement.

Kind of like getting back together with an ex, isn't it? But, I digress…

That was what made "The Beekeeper" so disappointing. After two breathtakingly amazing albums where it seemed like she was just getting better and bolder and yet somehow more concise and focused, it was like she took a big step backward. She turned around from her airy balcony and wandered back into the bedroom closet, back into the kind of claustrophobic, pages-from-my-diary, singer-songwriter stuff that was always her least interesting aspect to begin with, and possibly my least favorite form of popular music. It was like the music I imagine tinkling vaporously in the cocktail lounge at the Hotel California. You can check out any time you like and all, but you can NEVER TURN OFF THIS CD.

So, here comes "American Doll Posse" and a tour to follow. (She's playing in Florence, Italy on my birthday. Let's all go!) Will she be back on form or will it be another "Pele"/"Beekeeper"-style disappointment? The good news, either way, is that there is still music that makes me squirm with impatience to hear. I want it NOW NOW NOW! The suspense is K I L L I N G me.

How many times have you waited for some band’s next record, pleading with them, pleading with God, “Please don’t suck this time, please don’t suck, please!”? And then you buy it and sure enough, it sucks. Or worse, it seems great for about two days and then you start to see the strings and wires and seams where it’s all barely holding together and you realize then that no, actually, it really does suck. You were just letting your desire to love it cloud your judgement.

yeah, I’m pretty much that way with any REM album after Green. kind of got into a force of habit more than anything

How many times have you waited for some band’s next record, pleading with them, pleading with God, “Please don’t suck this time, please don’t suck, please!”? And then you buy it and sure enough, it sucks. Or worse, it seems great for about two days and then you start to see the strings and wires and seams where it’s all barely holding together and you realize then that no, actually, it really does suck. You were just letting your desire to love it cloud your judgement.

yeah, I’m pretty much that way with any REM album after Green. kind of got into a force of habit more than anything

More on NIN: I had no idea a guy who supposedly makes his music on a Macintosh or something would be that good live in concert. Plus that precision light show…freaking awesome.

Reznor breathes organic life into his machinery – he’s a cyborg musician. Best club concert I ever saw was NIN with Meat Beat Manifesto opening at Bogart’s in Cincinnatti in 1991. The mosh pit was the biggest I’ve ever seen. I still have dreams involving that night.

I feel the same way about Tori, I sure hope this album is better than the last few. I fell in love after “Higher Education” introduced me to “Butterfly”. But, Kate Bush is still my all time favorite gal…, and I know…, she is a love and need’er or hate and leave’er one.

The time I saw NIN was an outdoor benefit concert for New Orleans victims. It was in the Memphis ball park. By the time they came on near midnight, half of the audience had left so they let us all onto the field and we crowded in front of the stage.

The time I saw NIN was an outdoor benefit concert for New Orleans victims. It was in the Memphis ball park. By the time they came on near midnight, half of the audience had left so they let us all onto the field and we crowded in front of the stage.

Oh yeah, the Voodoo Festival last year, right? I tried to get some friends to go to that but they wouldnt go for it. I heard it was a great show.

yeah, I’m pretty much that way with any REM album after Green. kind of got into a force of habit more than anything

I’m going to tell them you said that.

hey, I’ve tried, believe me. was a major fan back in the day, once drove 8 hours to see them , caught the show, hung with them backstage and then drove 8 hours back to go to work the next day. I made it a personal challenge to get anyone who walked into the record store where I worked when Reckoning came out and asked me what was good (and many times when they didn’t) to make sure they left with a copy (this resulted in the local album rock station to start playing the record based on our store’s sales)

You wanna hear fey weird poetaster girl play harpsichord and harp and other weird fey hippy stuff and write awesome poetry and sing in a weird annoying voice that’s hard to stop listening to while she looks kind of odd and gangly and has long straight hair and doesn’t really seem to be ov this world?

Joanna Newsom FTW.

Buh-bye, Tori. Someone just showed you how to do it. Also she’s not a preening twit.

How is it possible that RGJoe and Zell Miller share a birthday? I mean, what’re the odds?

Dunno…Twins born out of ‘rural’ wedlock into dire circumstances, separated at birth into different orphanages as ‘no-name Kallikak’ after the family lean-to was attacked by a pack of razorback hogs, growing up and never knowing the real truth…?

How is it possible that RGJoe and Zell Miller share a birthday? I mean, what’re the odds?

Dunno…Twins born out of ‘rural’ wedlock into dire circumstances, separated at birth into different orphanages as ‘no-name Kallikak’ after the family lean-to was attacked by a pack of razorback hogs, growing up and never knowing the real truth…?

Oh, and now my memory cells are clicking in, I remember seeing Garbage, too. They were the opening act for Alanis Morissette in Salt Lake City, some years ago. Concert was good, but Shirley Manson was in a pisser mood, screaming fuck at the stagehands or sound techs or somebody.

Turned me on. I’d let that lady kick me black and blue. She just brings out the M in me.

Was “Cornflake Girl” on that CD you didn’t like, TRex? I had a co-worker who really liked her, gave me a tape of some of her songs.
I didn’t care for it.
But then I’m a Beatles and Ry Cooder and Freddie Fender fan….

I have the same birthday as O.J. Simpson. I’ve never killed anyone. In fact, I skrim when my better half wants me to squish a big bug, or “take care” of the occasional mouse. Never put much stock in astrological signs.

Although… my kids have followed their signs’ traits from day one, so might be changing my opinion about that as I get older.

How is it possible that RGJoe and Zell Miller share a birthday? I mean, what’re the odds?

Dunno…Twins born out of ‘rural’ wedlock into dire circumstances, separated at birth into different orphanages as ‘no-name Kallikak’ after the family lean-to was attacked by a pack of razorback hogs, growing up and never knowing the real truth…?

Wells – “The reason he took two hours to have lunch with Ms. Miller is that Mr. Libby understood that the Vice President of the United States directed him to go meet with Ms. Miller and that the President, President Bush was behind it too. Not to say anything about Valerie Wilson, but to discuss with Judith Miller of the New York Times information that President Bush had privately declassified concerning the National Intelligence Estimate.

This is what Mr. Libby said in the Grand Jury on that issue. He, that means the Vice President. “He told me to go ahead and talk to the press about the NIE.”

blah blah blah. Oh! blah blah blah…(skipping ahead because I am tired and Randall refuses to work on my blog w/o a raise!)

“Now, the notion that he goes –what is, in essence, I mean this is basically a secret mission that three people in the world know, President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Scooter Libby. Because he goes and does what he is asked to do by the President and the Vice President and meets with her for two hours.”

I am off to Chicago, tomorrow is lasagna night! Maybe I will post the whole banana if anyone is at all interested in reading all the BS from Wells and Jeffress and the truth from the Z-Man and yours truly…let me know, ok?

Musical taste is so individual, and some folks, having found someone they like, will never admit that the artist produced any clunkers. I recall hearing some of Yoko Ono’s primal screaming songs and described them to an Ono fan as sounding like cats being tortured with hot pokers and hammers. Said fan made an exceeding dour look and didn’t talk to me again for several hours.

Y’know, I’m not a fan of Teefs-n-Tufts, but he mocked Cheney pretty well one Sunday morning on Timmeh’s show. Tim asked a question with the premise, “Vice President Cheney sez…” and Biden laughed at the end of the question and said (para) “Does anybody pay attention to what Vice President Cheney sez anymore? He’s not been right on anything, ever.” And, amazingly, he stopped talking.

But then, unsurprisingly and to his detriment, he started up again. It was a singular moment, and one I’d like to see others repeat whenever Cheney’s quoted or referred to:
1. Laugh out loud
2. Exclaim that the questioner takes Cheney seriously
3. Mock Cheney for his tragic and ubiquitous errors in judgment
4. Call upon Cheney to leave the public arena.
5. Ask, “Next question, Wolf?”

OT: Who were those folks last night from the Claremont Institute. It appears that one of them, Trevino, favors dealing with Iraqis the way the Brits dealt with the Boers, which per the Wikipedia was to put the women and children in concentration camps and turn the rest of the country into a free-fire zone. I ask because one of the editorial writers for my local newspaper is from that bunch and they carry editorials claiming that the alleged tortures at Guantanimo amount to “nothing worse than a late lunch.” Are these people certifiable psychos?

Long time. I too love Tori, but for it would seem different reasons. I’ve always held Pele as her (emotional) best and I love both scarlet and bees as the wizened artist at play (her book “piece by piece” fills a lot of her motivational blanks). Thanks for letting me know she’s releasing… the picture is ominous.

Y’know, I’m not a fan of Teefs-n-Tufts, but he mocked Cheney pretty well one Sunday morning on Timmeh’s show. Tim asked a question with the premise, “Vice President Cheney sez…” and Biden laughed at the end of the question and said (para) “Does anybody pay attention to what Vice President Cheney sez anymore? He’s not been right on anything, ever.” And, amazingly, he stopped talking.

But then, unsurprisingly and to his detriment, he started up again. It was a singular moment, and one I’d like to see others repeat whenever Cheney’s quoted or referred to:
1. Laugh out loud
2. Exclaim that the questioner takes Cheney seriously
3. Mock Cheney for his tragic and ubiquitous errors in judgment
4. Call upon Cheney to leave the public arena.
5. Ask, “Next question, Wolf?”

The standard answer to anything about Cheney should be: “Cheney’s either delusional or a compulsive liar. Either way, he’s full of shit.”

Y’know, I’m not a fan of Teefs-n-Tufts, but he mocked Cheney pretty well one Sunday morning on Timmeh’s show. Tim asked a question with the premise, “Vice President Cheney sez…” and Biden laughed at the end of the question and said (para) “Does anybody pay attention to what Vice President Cheney sez anymore? He’s not been right on anything, ever.” And, amazingly, he stopped talking.

But then, unsurprisingly and to his detriment, he started up again. It was a singular moment, and one I’d like to see others repeat whenever Cheney’s quoted or referred to:
1. Laugh out loud
2. Exclaim that the questioner takes Cheney seriously
3. Mock Cheney for his tragic and ubiquitous errors in judgment
4. Call upon Cheney to leave the public arena.
5. Ask, “Next question, Wolf?”

Yeah, I got to see the David Bowie/NIN tour, which was excellent — a long stretch of duets in the crossover. It was worth putting up with the goth teenagers who didn’t know that The Man Who Sold the World was a Bowie song and not a Nirvana song. ;-)

Y’know, I’m not a fan of Teefs-n-Tufts, but he mocked Cheney pretty well one Sunday morning on Timmeh’s show. Tim asked a question with the premise, “Vice President Cheney sez…” and Biden laughed at the end of the question and said (para) “Does anybody pay attention to what Vice President Cheney sez anymore? He’s not been right on anything, ever.” And, amazingly, he stopped talking.

But then, unsurprisingly and to his detriment, he started up again. It was a singular moment, and one I’d like to see others repeat whenever Cheney’s quoted or referred to:
1. Laugh out loud
2. Exclaim that the questioner takes Cheney seriously
3. Mock Cheney for his tragic and ubiquitous errors in judgment
4. Call upon Cheney to leave the public arena.
5. Ask, “Next question, Wolf?”

The standard answer to anything about Cheney should be: “Cheney’s either delusional or a compulsive liar. Either way, he’s full of shit.”

Cheney started going really wrong in his head after they operated on him and implanted a device…what probably happened is they took out his “real” heart and put in a mechanical one so now he can’t feel anything. He’s a robot programmed to say whatever the members of the world shadow government want him to say. But now his wiring is going bad and he is starting to sound like an old victrola that needs winding up again. His programming is old and he won’t go back to the hospital to get an update.

I’ve always thought DeadEye Dick had something really horrible happen to him as a child, and it’s never been dealt with. He has that same sad, angry expression in every picture I’ve ever seen of him going back to childhood. This was not a happy kid.

Stumbled on a weird bit a of trivia while looking for more info on his life…he and Lynne went to the same high school as Matthew Shepard. Huh.

Cheney started going really wrong in his head after they operated on him and implanted a device…what probably happened is they took out his “real” heart and put in a mechanical one so now he can’t feel anything. He’s a robot programmed to say whatever the members of the world shadow government want him to say. But now his wiring is going bad and he is starting to sound like an old victrola that needs winding up again. His programming is old and he won’t go back to the hospital to get an update.

Nope, he’s been off from the start, loooongggg before his arteries turned to landfills and the docs turned him into the Bionic Blowhard.

People like Cheney don’t change–they just get better at screwing everyone as time goes by.

I’ve been watching the first season of Saturday Night Live. Episode one: Janis Ian singing “Seventeen,” accompanying herself on guitar. As if she’s ever been ugly. Episode two: Simon and Garfunkel, first Paul Simon, then their reunion, then Garfunkel. I can’t wait to see what night three has in store. Never mind the disgraceful state of our country. Just for the moment I am hearing music that I love.

I’m enjoying a nice bowl of schadenfreude before bed. I’m becoming more confident that it *is* indeed possible to suck badly enough as a candidate that it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve got. Especially if you’ve got help from the likes of James Carville.

I’ve been watching the first season of Saturday Night Live. Episode one: Janis Ian singing “Seventeen,” accompanying herself on guitar. As if she’s ever been ugly. Episode two: Simon and Garfunkel, first Paul Simon, then their reunion, then Garfunkel. I can’t wait to see what night three has in store. Never mind the disgraceful state of our country. Just for the moment I am hearing music that I love.

The state of our country back in the first year of SNL wasn’t all that great, either.

I’m enjoying a nice bowl of schadenfreude before bed. I’m becoming more confident that it *is* indeed possible to suck badly enough as a candidate that it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve got. Especially if you’ve got help from the likes of James Carville.

I hear ya. Any Democrat stupid enough to accept help from Carville and/or Shrum deserves what they get: the best concession speech in the business — we’re talking “lots of practices.”

Just wanted to say, hope you aren’t pissed at me about last night. Truly, I wasn’t talking about PMS and chocolate. I was replying to Trevino, indirectly. Every time he posted, I did a post that was a sideways reference to 1984. That’s where the choco ration references came from. If he’d kept it up a while longer, I would have shifted to Inner Party/Outer Party references. I was determined not to answer him directly, but to still comment about his nonsense, in some way.

Just wanted to say, hope you aren’t pissed at me about last night. Truly, I wasn’t talking about PMS and chocolate. I was replying to Trevino, indirectly. Every time he posted, I did a post that was a sideways reference to 1984. That’s where the choco ration references came from. If he’d kept it up a while longer, I would have shifted to Inner Party/Outer Party references. I was determined not to answer him directly, but to still comment about his nonsense, in some way.

Cheers.

Montag, I am not pissed at you. I got it after I saw your 151. I picked you up replying to a woman who used to spend a lot of time around here, and I am overly sensitive about those kind of commenters.

I was really tired and cranky. (Not PMSing!) I apologize. I got what you were doing when I scrolled back and saw it. :)

What is with those crazy people. I get the impression that they are somehow a subsidiary of the Heritage Foundation.

Just wanted to say, hope you aren’t pissed at me about last night. Truly, I wasn’t talking about PMS and chocolate. I was replying to Trevino, indirectly. Every time he posted, I did a post that was a sideways reference to 1984. That’s where the choco ration references came from. If he’d kept it up a while longer, I would have shifted to Inner Party/Outer Party references. I was determined not to answer him directly, but to still comment about his nonsense, in some way.

I’ve long thought that Fitz might have the goods on this gang all the way back to the provenance of the Niger forgeries. But, if so, he’s been playing it way too cool.

Fitzgerald may have his suspicions, but, if what Josh Marshall has said is correct–about the FBI dragging its feet on the forgeries investigation–I doubt Fitzgerald has the goods on the people involved. He’s got to have something to work with, and the FBI hasn’t supplied it.

I was speaking of the music rather than the state of our country, though we were better off in 1975 than we had been in the Nixon years. Playing Scarborough Fair in my head lowers my blood pressure. But to echo what someone said in an earler thread, I’d love to have either you or RevDeb as my pastor.

It was a bit on the obscure side, I admit. I was hoping the perseverance of subject would eventually make it obvious. :)

I got it.

“Attention! Your attention please! Our forces in South Eastaisa have won a glorious victory! I am authorized to inform you that the news we are reporting may well bring the war within a measurable distance of its end! Chocolate rations will be increased by 3 grams! Remember, Big Brother is watching.”

wigwam: why do you say he’s playing it too cool? Seems to fit his M.O. to get the underlings first, then fry the big fish. His comments in closing about “dark clouds” suggest he might be moving in this direction. Granted, I’ve just followed this loosely and not in the legal profession…

I’ve long thought that Fitz might have the goods on this gang all the way back to the provenance of the Niger forgeries. But, if so, he’s been playing it way too cool.

Fitzgerald may have his suspicions, but, if what Josh Marshall has said is correct–about the FBI dragging its feet on the forgeries investigation–I doubt Fitzgerald has the goods on the people involved. He’s got to have something to work with, and the FBI hasn’t supplied it.

IMHO, it all goes back to Cheney and Ledeen, but apparently nobody’s been able to really close the loop.

One of the upcoming attractions that nobody has mentioned is the Wilsons’ civil suit. Shades of OJ.

k.d. lang’s early stuff was really great. The later stuff, not so much.

My partner and I used to describe it in “Elvis-speak”. Her early stuff was off the hook. She sung her guts out and was all over the stage. Like Elvis, Judy Garland, Patsy Cline and Sid Vicious rolled into one. We called it her “Jailhouse Rock” period.

wigwam: why do you say he’s playing it too cool? Seems to fit his M.O. to get the underlings first, then fry the big fish. His comments in closing about “dark clouds” suggest he might be moving in this direction. Granted, I’ve just followed this loosely and not in the legal profession…

“Attention! Your attention please! Our forces in South Eastaisa have won a glorious victory! I am authorized to inform you that the news we are reporting may well bring the war within a measurable distance of its end! Chocolate rations will be increased by 3 grams! Remember, Big Brother is watching.”

Trevino is an Outer Party member desperately wishing he were an Inner Party member. Lots o’ them out there. :)

k.d. lang’s early stuff was really great. The later stuff, not so much.

My partner and I used to describe it in “Elvis-speak”. Her early stuff was off the hook. She sung her guts out and was all over the stage. Like Elvis, Judy Garland, Patsy Cline and Sid Vicious rolled into one. We called it her “Jailhouse Rock” period.

… It was worth putting up with the goth teenagers who didn’t know that The Man Who Sold the World was a Bowie song and not a Nirvana song. ;-)

Ha Ha,Reminds me of a story I read somewhere about a Dead show where they were supported by The Violent Femmes.On the way out of the venue,two “Goth-Types” were heard discussing the show,and apparently one asked the other why the GD had played a G*ns & R*s*s song as an encore,it was “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”.

Ah well,time to go,I have been without a computer for eons(like before November),and I am determined to catch up as much of what I missed as I can,tonight I have been reading some of the (very) old election coverage threads,and although a lot of it is serious stuff,I have had many occasions to laugh out loud,(Virgin Pecans and IMs from that creep Foley will stay for a looooonngg time),you peeps are amazing.

Just before I go,I notice somewhere that the Dead “Trucking Up To Buffalo” is available on DVD.That is good news which I did not know,may have to take a look at amazon tomorrow.I have the CD,and also a naughty b**tl*g CD of the support from that night(July 4,1989),10,000 Maniacs,now what a show that must have been.

I only saw 10,000 Maniacs the once,supporting REM in London 1987,but the Natalie version of the band produced some of the finest music of the 1980s and early 90s IMHO,”Blind Man’s Zoo” is just one of those rare beasts,the perfect record,interested to hear other folks takes on ‘The Perfect Album’.Steely Dan’s “Can’t Buy A Thrill” is another.

As always,thanks and respects to y’all,Good Night,or Morning in fact,it is actually 6.30 am here at the moment,so it’s time to evict the cats off the bed(temporarily,they always sneak back before too long),and get some kip,and probably nightmares about a Barbara Bush Chair too,YECCCCCHHHHH.Back in a while,Love & Peace from England.Take Care People.

Andy(aka TheCatWhoWalksByHimself),not always this nocturnal,but Who Knows Where The Time Goes ?

I won’t get started on the subject of Sandy Denny,or you will NEVER get me off here.

k.d. lang’s early stuff was really great. The later stuff, not so much.

That’s because she sings like an angel but she cannot write for sh**. The first time I ever heard her was over the loudspeaker in a Warehouse music store in 87. I ran up to the counter and said, “Who the f*** is that?” She is an unparalleled interpreter of the classics, but the pop attempts at writing own material? Not so much.

k.d. lang’s early stuff was really great. The later stuff, not so much.

That’s because she sings like an angel but she cannot write for sh**. The first time I ever heard her was over the loudspeaker in a Warehouse music store in 87. I ran up to the counter and said, “Who the f*** is that?” She is an unparalleled interpreter of the classics, but the pop attempts at writing own material? Not so much.

Constant Craving was good. I really identify with that. I know what you mean, though.

I won’t get started on the subject of Sandy Denny,or you will NEVER get me off here.

Yeah, gone too soon. Great pipes, and her musical friends have done interesting things since she left us. Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch (is he one of the most unknown and underrated guitar players around, or what?–”Angie” was his before Paul Simon did it).

It really gave me some insight into Tori when I learned she was the model for Delirium of The Endless, a family where the central character was Dream (Or Morpheus) and where the eldst sister was Death. Death was a way cool chick. Definitely a most interesting interpretation.
When I heard who Delirium was based on, I realized “Ooh! So THAT’s what Tori is like in private! Kewl!”

The exorbitant price of a good harpsichord, the difficulty of moving it, the space that it occupies, the expense of its upkeep, the mystery of its tuning, of which the arbitrary temperament is founded only on long experience. That tuning so subject to the change of weather that one cannot assure oneself of playing if one does not have a maker near enough to tune for each performance and to repair the frequent accidents to the keyboard, cold in winter, and the impossibility of increasing and diminishing the sound today repel women of good taste who prefer the hurdy-gurdy in which they find none of these failings.

Bob Re your 154,I dunno if you ever saw Zep live,but if you did,I wonder how they came over to you,I thought their studio stuff was amazing,as you say,but live I thought they were flabby,self indulgent and messy (just watch The Song Remains The Same)

I’ve had a theory for a long time about some of the great bands/singer-songwriters who have fantastic early success in their careers, only to hit a plateau. I think what endears us to their initial work is a certain kind of artistic hunger period that a songwriter goes through which helps them create fantastic songs. Once they experience a taste of success and no longer have the same environment to live in (the obscurity, the sometimes actual hunger, the unrealized dreams) they lose the sense of what inspired them to create the art in the first place.

They then begin to try to recreate the conditions in which they previously worked, but this is an impossible task. It causes them to create works that are “almost” as good as what came before. Then panic sets in when they realize theyve become tired and not branched out beyond their abilities like they hoped. They panic and hire the best producers their label tells them to, they hire the best guns to back them, they hire everybody the “pros” tell them to – only to fail miserably.

Next comes the deep depressed artist phase where they ignore all outside advice, turn inward on themselves, take drugs or drink or find Jesus or something radical in their personal life, they reinvent themselves by Getting Back To Basics and capture for a brief moment what got them fame in the first place – a hungry new but old sound they touched in their artists soul once but lost and found again in a dark inpirational moment.

Hi spiderpaws! Glad you’re here. I need to clarify something that I was accidently misquoted about. I had mentioned in the gabbly chat the Saturn/Neptune opposition coming up exact on Feb 27th that could possibly portend some type of ‘disaster’ happening that day, and it was retold as Feb 28th, and now I’ve seen the 28th mentioned twice again since.

I haven’t reinstalled my astro programs from a puter crash I had so I’ve been going off a couple of fave astro/political blogs instead, I didn’t pay attention to specifics of that aspect and I’m way too tired to go hunt it down at the second. Regardless of that we have people here thinking it is next Wed and I’ve been thinking all long it would be Tuesday we should be keeping an eye on things. Saturn and Neptune being outer planets move so slowly the degrees would still be felt on the 28th. And I totally agree with you that past eclipses are being activated, plus we have the spring biannual ones coming up. It will be nice when Mercury goes direct on Mar 7th also.

Is there anyway you could please shoot me an email sometime? Would love to talk to you some more: thirdeyeeclipse AT aol DOT com

I’ve had a theory for a long time about some of the great bands/singer-songwriters who have fantastic early success in their careers, only to hit a plateau. I think what endears us to their initial work is a certain kind of artistic hunger period that a songwriter goes through which helps them create fantastic songs. Once they experience a taste of success and no longer have the same environment to live in (the obscurity, the sometimes actual hunger, the unrealized dreams) they lose the sense of what inspired them to create the art in the first place.

They then begin to try to recreate the conditions in which they previously worked, but this is an impossible task. It causes them to create works that are “almost” as good as what came before. Then panic sets in when they realize theyve become tired and not branched out beyond their abilities like they hoped. They panic and hire the best producers their label tells them to, they hire the best guns to back them, they hire everybody the “pros” tell them to – only to fail miserably.

Next comes the deep depressed artist phase where they ignore all outside advice, turn inward on themselves, take drugs or drink or find Jesus or something radical in their personal life, they reinvent themselves by Getting Back To Basics and capture for a brief moment what got them fame in the first place – a hungry new but old sound they touched in their artists soul once but lost and found again in a dark inpirational moment.

Rinse and repeat.

Same can be said of authors, often their first book or two are the best.

Same can be said of authors, often their first book or two are the best.

Oh totally. But I offer a caveat to my earlier statements. There are just as many examples of artists and bands (authors too) who take a different path. For example, U2. They started out with a modicum of minimal success in their early years, then a slow rise in popularity through the mid 80s and on into the present day which seemingly has no end. The paths to glory and infamy are different for everybody.

Next comes the deep depressed artist phase where they ignore all outside advice, turn inward on themselves, take drugs or drink or find Jesus or something radical in their personal life, they reinvent themselves by Getting Back To Basics and capture for a brief moment what got them fame in the first place – a hungry new but old sound they touched in their artists soul once but lost and found again in a dark inpirational moment.

Rinse and repeat.

The world of music depends so much on PR hype. People start believing their own press releases. That creates a tension in their lives, to be better than their PR. Destroys some people. The press inevitably wishes to make arbitrary comparisons, and that doesn’t help, either. Case in point, from another genre–Phil Ochs succumbed to the comparisons he himself made of himself and Bob Dylan and actually encouraged in the press. Drove himself mad as the March hare trying to best Dylan in the contemporary press and lost his way, and his sanity.

People who have gone their own way without concern for reputation have fared better, and lasted longer. In a way, the people who end up believing that repeating themselves over and over again never mature and never grow, and eventually fall by the wayside, or become caricatures of their former selves.

People who have gone their own way without concern for reputation have fared better, and lasted longer. In a way, the people who end up believing that repeating themselves over and over again never mature and never grow, and eventually fall by the wayside, or become caricatures of their former selves.

Bob Re your 154,I dunno if you ever saw Zep live,but if you did,I wonder how they came over to you,I thought their studio stuff was amazing,as you say,but live I thought they were flabby,self indulgent and messy (just watch The Song Remains The Same)

Never did see them live. The movie never turned me on.

I used to be such a nut for Zep that I could put on the 4CD anthology and play it, solid, nothing else, while driving the 8-9 hours between Boston and DC — a trip I used to do quite often.

That was 15 years ago, can’t say I’d do it now. Have moved on, so to speak.

Yes that will be a BIG energy change. I’ve been following the trial so closely that I’m way behind on all aspects and moon phases for once. (Imagine that, heh)

One cool thing caught my eye recently was the Chinese New Year. Last year I mentioned it was the Year of the Fire Dog, and also the huge infusion of Year of the Goddess energy. This year is the Year of the Pig. I found this in a comment thread:

Feng shui expert Raymond Lo said that according to ancient Chinese belief, the Year of the Pig is symbolised by two elements — fire sitting on top of water.

Fire sitting on top of water…hmmmm.. now where oh where have we seen that? *g*

Me either. And I always call it the PRC – People’s Republic of California. Too expensive and plastic for my taste. Though I may end up out there for business purposes eventually with the intention of staying a few years before a fleeing to saner environs elsewhere.

…Jacqrat…thanks for the Eva youtube, have been lost in them for awhile here scarfing chocolate…but mystery is good, no?

Mars changing from an earth sign to an air sign could bring on some real mental energy and freshen up peoples social life, personally I like it when mars goes into the fire signs…the Saturn/Neptune opposition is exact on the 28th but you can feel it a week before and afterward….the major effects of this will be internal with our expectations shifting. Saturn discipline gets eroded by nebulous neptune but saturn can also dim hopes so watch you keep your spirits up.

Really, the North American Lesbian (Homo Sapphiens) was the last of all the species to let go of the mullet cut.

Mm.

No no my friend, the genus Homo Hoosierensus Redneckus, also known as the Hoosier Redneck is plentiful in population with the mullet. There is also a curious infection of the species Illegal Mexican Hoosier where both males and females of that genus continue to sport the mullet to this day.

Really, the North American Lesbian (Homo Sapphiens) was the last of all the species to let go of the mullet cut.

Mm.

She’s from a town called Consort in Alberta, Canada.

Consort is a village in eastern Alberta, Canada, located about equidistant between Edmonton, Calgary, and Regina. It lies on the crossroads of Highways 12 and 41, about 60 km west from the Saskatchewan border.
The village popupation was 634 in 2001.The primary industries are farming, ranching and oil production.The local weekly newspaper, The Consort Enterprise is published since 1912.

As with anything ‘disaster’ depends on perspective, and who knows if it could be earth changes, man made, personal, or an observation; like say Libby goes down and takes Bush and Cheney with him? We would perceive Libby being found guilty as very very good for America. Team Libby not so much, and Cheney is a disaster no matter how we look at him.

As with anything ‘disaster’ depends on perspective, and who knows if it could be earth changes, man made, personal, or an observation; like say Libby goes down and takes Bush and Cheney with him? We would perceive Libby being found guilty as very very good for America. Team Libby not so much, and Cheney is a disaster no matter how we look at him.

As with anything ‘disaster’ depends on perspective, and who knows if it could be earth changes, man made, personal, or an observation; like say Libby goes down and takes Bush and Cheney with him? We would perceive Libby being found guilty as very very good for America. Team Libby not so much, and Cheney is a disaster no matter how we look at him.

Here’s the thing: this saturn/neptune opposition is neither good nor bad and remember you have to look at where it lands in your own personal chart, what houses are they transiting? and as Suzanne said, they are slow moving, outer planets that are not as obvious in their effect. Some people, like Mr paws, are really effected by Saturn transits and others not so…however, the big action will be with these two eclipses. They can slam doors shut and put you in the next dimension, your life could change in a heartbeat. The lunar eclipse is in Virgo (hello jacqrat!) and the solar eclipse is in Pisces. What houses do they rule in your chart? I have virgo taking up a portion of my tenth house, though not the midheaven, where the world sees me and pisces ruling my domestic affairs house so, no, am not looking forward to this one!

Wow, not to sound too crazy here or put too fine a point on this (!) but after looking at this carefully, the solar eclipse in Pisces DOES happen in Bush’s 8th house (not the ninth) by about a very few seconds, it is just inside the 8th….the 8th also rules inheritance, taxes and rebirth….

Hi spiderpaws! Glad you’re here. I need to clarify something that I was accidently misquoted about. I had mentioned in the gabbly chat the Saturn/Neptune opposition coming up exact on Feb 27th that could possibly portend some type of ‘disaster’ happening that day, and it was retold as Feb 28th, and now I’ve seen the 28th mentioned twice again since.

I haven’t reinstalled my astro programs from a puter crash I had so I’ve been going off a couple of fave astro/political blogs instead, I didn’t pay attention to specifics of that aspect and I’m way too tired to go hunt it down at the second. Regardless of that we have people here thinking it is next Wed and I’ve been thinking all long it would be Tuesday we should be keeping an eye on things. Saturn and Neptune being outer planets move so slowly the degrees would still be felt on the 28th. And I totally agree with you that past eclipses are being activated, plus we have the spring biannual ones coming up. It will be nice when Mercury goes direct on Mar 7th also.

Is there anyway you could please shoot me an email sometime? Would love to talk to you some more: thirdeyeeclipse AT aol DOT com

Wow, not to sound too crazy here or put too fine a point on this (!) but after looking at this carefully, the solar eclipse in Pisces DOES happen in Bush’s 8th house (not the ninth) by about a very few seconds, it is just inside the 8th….the 8th also rules inheritance, taxes and rebirth….

Perfectly put spiderpaws, I did leave out this time about aspects being neither good or bad, as favorable and unfavorable things are happening all over every moment, and within ourselves. This Saturn/Neptune aspect is the second of 3 in this series, one was last Aug, and the third will be in June. The planets don’t “cause” things to happen, they are a mirror reflection going on simultaneously with earth (us), As Above So Below.

Fini: right off the bat I can see the eclipse will happen on your midheaven (how the world sees you) and your third house – short journeys, neighborhood (or small town) However, there are no degrees on the house cusps which is really bad so go to astrology.com and see if you can wangle a free chart from them so you get more info…if not there are a few other things I can tell you like you have a sag rising so are now experiencing a Jupiter transit of your first house (get fat anyone?) More in a minute when I go back to it…

Well about Bush…the 8th house is where the solar eclipse will happen in his chart. It is the house of death, taxes, inheritance and rebirth. So it could mean a death (internal, a relative, himself, his world) or a real loss of money (or OUR money) or he could get reborn in some way through something that happens. It could be any of these or all of them. Eclipses usually mean a loss of energy or a big shift in energy when you think that the sun will be covered up and its energy blocked. And lets not forget Bush is a cancer so the eclipse of the moon will be huge for him in his money house (or values).

Fini: right off the bat I can see the eclipse will happen on your midheaven (how the world sees you) and your third house – short journeys, neighborhood (or small town) However, there are no degrees on the house cusps which is really bad so go to astrology.com and see if you can wangle a free chart from them so you get more info…if not there are a few other things I can tell you like you have a sag rising so are now experiencing a Jupiter transit of your first house (get fat anyone?) More in a minute when I go back to it…

Astrology.com didnt have any options for a chart generator. Are there any other sites or a free program I could use to generate one with the degrees on the house cusps?

So Fini, you will have this lunar (moon) eclipse happening for everybody to see right at the top of your chart…stay cool if you can! could spark some real emotion or else you will become exhausted and go to bed…also I see you are having a jupiter return right now this year ( a very fortunate thing) and you have a perfect bucket chart with the handle of the bucket being Saturn on the descendant. So here’s the way it is for you. You have all those gregarious planets in Libra in the 11th house and some others happy dappy in Aquarius in the third house and then as a big old anchor you have saturn ( the squelcher, grounder, serious realist, status quo guy) making sure you don’t go off half cocked, which with all that air (and Saturn is in Gemini, more air!!!) you could certainly do. Also the planet closest to the top of your chart is Pluto, so you know how to make the changes when the shit hits the fan or the need arises. You like it in fact, right?

Me either. And I always call it the PRC – People’s Republic of California. Too expensive and plastic for my taste. Though I may end up out there for business purposes eventually with the intention of staying a few years before a fleeing to saner environs elsewhere.

Wow TRex and Fini -

Living in Santa Monica for 16 years sure gave me a close up look at the plastic people.

And they’re really there.

Small wonder Beverly Hills has so many shrinks one street’s called “couch alley”.

But that’s just the ghettos – gilded or gritty – of the “industry” (that dare not speak its name? I’ve never been clear on that).

Even on the Westside, the farmers’ markets invite you to know the real Californians.

In Santa Monica early on Wednesdays, local chefs are out grabbing the best produce and delectables. Not the celebrity chefs (OK – very seldom), but the real chefs who create much of the de facto “commons” among the rising walls of Westside gentrification.

When you get to know the farmers, they invite you to join their private celebrations and visit their families.

In Sierra Madre – snuggled up against the San Gabriel mountains east of LA – you can come out to the Fourth of July parade and meet the extended LaLone family. They get out early on the Fourth and stake out the sidewalk in front of the old mortuary, across from the Congregational Church.

My family came to know the LaLones through friendship and marriage. Firepups who’ve needed Search and Rescue in California and much of the west don’t know the LaLones, but may wish to thank them.

In 1961 Fred LaLone and Larry Shepherd founded the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, first in California and a model for many that followed in that and other western states.

And then there’s the dense local network of hundreds of small organic farmers, dairies, fisherwomen (and men!), heirloom livestock breeders and butchers, beekeepers, candymakers, and local cidermakers/brewpubs/bakers here in Northern California.

So Fini, you will have this lunar (moon) eclipse happening for everybody to see right at the top of your chart…stay cool if you can! could spark some real emotion or else you will become exhausted and go to bed…also I see you are having a jupiter return right now this year ( a very fortunate thing) and you have a perfect bucket chart with the handle of the bucket being Saturn on the descendant. So here’s the way it is for you. You have all those gregarious planets in Libra in the 11th house and some others happy dappy in Aquarius in the third house and then as a big old anchor you have saturn ( the squelcher, grounder, serious realist, status quo guy) making sure you don’t go off half cocked, which with all that air (and Saturn is in Gemini, more air!!!) you could certainly do. Also the planet closest to the top of your chart is Pluto, so you know how to make the changes when the shit hits the fan or the need arises. You like it in fact, right?

You are good, my friend. You nailed it. I always wait for the shit to hit the fan to make my moves. I do my best work in chaos.

You’re on, I might actually be making my first trek to the coast this summer to help a friend move back to the LA area. If I do make the trip I will definitely give you a heads up. I know there are Two Californias from my friend Dan who is the guy moving back there.

Transits
Jupiter conjunction Ascendant Beginning of January 2007 until beginning of September 2007
Pluto sextile Moon Mid January 2007 until beginning of November 2008
Pluto square MC Mid January 2007 until mid November 2008
Jupiter sextile Mars Beginning of February 2007 until mid October 2007
Jupiter sextile Venus Mid February 2007 until end of October 2007
Pluto square Pluto Mid March 2007 until beginning of October 2009

Laura will have these eclipses in her 5th house of merriment (or lack thereof) and her 11th house, doesn’t sound like much fun for her or maybe it will just be a whole lots of screwups of her plans to meet and greet and have some fun…let’s not forget mercury is retrograde so we can add that bit of chaos into the blend.

You’re on, I might actually be making my first trek to the coast this summer to help a friend move back to the LA area. If I do make the trip I will definitely give you a heads up. I know there are Two Californias from my friend Dan who is the guy moving back there.

Great! I’m in the Bay Area – but only 5 hrs north of LA (or if y’all drive out on I-80, at the end of the road).

We tend to have pretty good acting and empathy skills (people and their emotions fascinate us), and some of us are tempted to use those skills for evil ends. And you reeaaaaaallly want to avoid anyone who a) can fool you (actor) b) understands you (empathetic), and c) is greedy or insecure.

On behalf of those pisceans, I appologise.

(see, I played nice, and “Boys For Pele” is one of my “shipwrecked on a deserted island” album selections).

Okay so Fini…backtrack, the lunar eclipse will fall in your 9th house since you have 28 * Virgo on the cusp of the tenth (the eclipses degree is 13* Virgo ) and the solar ecclipse will be in your third house of short journeys/neighborhood. And I also see there that you have natal jupiter sitting right on your ascendant and that is so lucky you don’t even know what UN-lucky is. This luck informs your whole life! So you take all that luck and opportunity and when things get crazy and start to fall apart you whip out your magic wand and turn everything back to gold….wow

Okay so Fini…backtrack, the lunar eclipse will fall in your 9th house since you have 28 * Virgo on the cusp of the tenth (the eclipses degree is 13* Virgo ) and the solar ecclipse will be in your third house of short journeys/neighborhood. And I also see there that you have natal jupiter sitting right on your ascendant and that is so lucky you don’t even know what UN-lucky is. This luck informs your whole life! So you take all that luck and opportunity and when things get crazy and start to fall apart you whip out your magic wand and turn everything back to gold….wow

So I should be buying lottery tickets then? If I have new opportunities to pursue then I should barge ahead with gusto? Let it all hang out and when the tide is turning, surf it to the other side, right?

well that is the downfall of you jupiterian types, you overshoot and run off to the gambling tables but seriously, your luck has to do with everyday life, just being able to spin the old draggy wool into some pretty nice fabric…what more do you want?…many would do anything for your ease of acquisition…but no, no gambling for you, you’ve got that saturn descendant, remember?
Am off to read my Vikkram Seth book, A Suitable Boy…it is over a thousand pages and is so heavy I have to balance it on a pillow as it bruises my legs! I asked mr paws to chainsaw it in half but he refused.

well that is the downfall of you jupiterian types, you overshoot and run off to the gambling tables but seriously, your luck has to do with everyday life, just being able to spin the old draggy wool into some pretty nice fabric…what more do you want?…many would do anything for your ease of acquisition…but no, no gambling for you, you’ve got that saturn descendant, remember?
Am off to read my Vikkram Seth book, A Suitable Boy…it is over a thousand pages and is so heavy I have to balance it on a pillow as it bruises my legs! I asked mr paws to chainsaw it in half but he refused.

Actually I constantly fight off the gambling urge. I usually call the lottery the Stupid Tax. Must be that Saturn descendant grounding me. Thanks for your help, my mind is more at ease now. I’ve been off to a great start this year and my instincts were telling me the stars were aligned in my favor or something for now. Good to know.

Good morning, retirin’. The cat demanded feeding, so I’ll be back in a few. The coffee and tea are ready, and today it’s banana bread with pecans. (I had some old-ish bananas. They make the best banana bread…)

Cat’s fed. The NYT has Ann Althouse and Maureen Dowd. Ann says we should be patient while Mitt and Rudi dance a gavotte around abortion, and MoDo found a group that St. McCain isn’t pandering to — Americans.

On February 8, 2007, Bruno & Bruno filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of those effected by the breach of the 17th Street flood protection levee during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The suit is against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its negligence in approving a permit to the Sewerage and Water Board that allowed dredging of the 17th Street canal. In 1984, the Corps. authorized the work by the Sewerage and Water Board despite the Corps knowing and understanding that the dredged canal bottom would be substantially lower than the flood protection levees. This allowed seepage under the flood protection levee, over a long period of time, led to the breach of the 17th Street levee and the catastrophic flooding of the city that killed more than 500 men, women and children in 2005.

Originally, the ruling was that people had 2 years after Katrina to join this suit. Now, we have til next Wednesday (18 mos). There has been little in the news until today, and even with that the only thing that was offered was the name of the attorney. Slick, huh? I found the attorney and went to read the court order. Got a 404 on that link.

The Team was founded in 1951 by a group of dedicated outdoorsmen from the local community. Whenever there was a call for help to assist someone in the local mountains, whether it be an injured hiker or someone who didn’t return home, these individuals were called. These calls for help became frequent enough that they formed an organization – The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team.

The Sierra Madre Search & Rescue Team was the first search & rescue team formed in California, but because of demand, other groups soon followed suit and formed other teams. Currently, there are 7 search and rescue teams in Los Angeles County, 6 of which are accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association.

Sorry, but I gotta stand up for Pele. It’s my favorite Tori album by a wide margin. (Only the studio half of Venus can even approach the same register.)

Think of it as her White Album. Yes, it’s more spare, less heavily-produced, more awkward and heaving from time to time, but the sonic precision is masterful (especially for that point in her career), and the emotional wrench has much better stood the test of time than her first two albums.

You’ve got to admire the bravado of aiming Lite Sneeze to be the launch single. The whole rhythm and composition of that number was through the roof of pop singles in that era. (Gabriel’s Digging in the Dirt kicked my ass by that same standard around then.)

And that harpsichord on Blood Roses is ferocious. If I want to show off my speakers to a new listener (and I often do), Blood Roses is among my most exceptional showpiece recordings for percussive detail.

Thanks for the preview skinny on the new one. But consider that you might ought to revisit a treasure. Like I said, think “White Album.”

One of the great things I admired about Tori fandom at the time was how they were initially so thrown by the release, but almost universally “grew into it” within mere weeks. And I admired Tori for putting them through it. ;)